Father Knows Best
by ProfessionalxDaydreamer
Summary: After the engagement party fiasco, Maureen gets advice from an unlikely person. Rated for one tiny little word. Read and review!


**Me + being very sick in bed = random MoJo fanfiction. Expect even more after this. :)**

Maureen started walking, not entirely sure of where she was going. She didn't know her way around the Country Club; it was Joanne's safe place. She had been coming here with her parents since she was very young. Joanne's parents' social lives practically revolved around this place, and in turn Joanne's had too.

But here was Maureen, who had never set foot inside until today. Hell, she didn't even know where the bathroom was. Joanne's parents had insisted on throwing the two of them this engagement party, which Maureen knew would be a disaster ever since Mrs. Jefferson first suggested it.

But there she was, walking aimlessly, her high heels clicking against the tile flooring of the hall. She didn't know what she was looking for; only that she really didn't want to talk to Joanne or any of her rich, upper-class friends and family. She just wanted to be alone.

Finally, she came to the end of the hall. A door in front of her led to what looked like a courtyard. Maureen opened the door, stepping outside. She pulled her burgundy jacket around her tightly, shivering in the February cold. The snow had melted already, and several crocuses had started to emerge from the ground, but Maureen couldn't help but feel that the overall grey landscape was symbolic of her and Joanne's relationship.

Sinking down onto a bench, Maureen went over what had just happened in her head. The engagement ceremony had started off happily, though she couldn't help but feel a sort of pressure coming from everyone- her parents, Joanne's parents, their friends, and even Joanne herself. Nobody understood that Maureen was _not_ the commitment type.

She loved Joanne, without a doubt, but there was something about engagements, which led to marriage, and eventually led to babies. Maureen was only twenty-five. She was still a child herself! Thinking about raising one scared her to death.

Joanne just couldn't handle her diva nature. She was a free spirit, and Joanne was an uptight lawyer. They came from two different worlds, it was ridiculous to think they'd last. Obviously.

The door to the courtyard opened loudly, causing Maureen to jump. She raised her eyebrows as she realized who it was. Scooting over slightly on the bench, Maureen made room for her father to sit down next to her.

"Hi, sweetheart," her father said quietly, turning to face her. She smiled weakly.

"Hi, daddy."

Contrary to popular belief, Maureen Johnson was a daddy's girl. Her father was quiet, stoic, and didn't nag her endlessly like her mother did. When she was very young, she used to beg him for piggy-back rides.

She would burst into her father's study, shrieking "I've arrived!" and her father would grin. Setting his pen down, he would always take the little five-year-old in his arms, listening as she talked on and on about school that day.

As Maureen got older, her relationship with her father became strained, to say the least, since she was quite a rebellious teenager. She stayed out late, smoked, drank, and slept around a lot, with both boys and girls. Her father found it hard to relate to her, but he always loved her. Every morning, she would tie his tie for him as he got ready for work. It was a small thing, but it was a sort of bonding experience for the both of them.

Now, as an adult, Maureen hardly knew her father. Mr. Johnson, in turn, hardly knew Maureen.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked kindly, and Maureen would have said no, but she found herself wanting to spill her guts to someone, anyone who would listen.

"I'm angry. At all of this. I love Joanne, but sometimes...I just don't know." Maureen said, confused by her own thoughts. She hardly knew what she felt anymore.

Her father cleared his throat. "Maureen, I've watched you grow up," he said. She nodded, and he placed a comforting hand on her knee. "I've seen you flirt shamelessly with everything that moves. I remember when you were sixteen, and you came out."

Maureen groaned at the memory; it hadn't gone over well.

_______________________________________________________

Sixteen-year-old Maureen quietly entered the house, shutting the door discreetly behind her. She tiptoed past the living room, toward her room, half-drunk. Lipstick was smeared on her lips, and she was dressed in tight leather pants and a leather jacket.

Suddenly, a light clicked on, revealing Nancy Johnson, sitting on the couch. Her arms were crossed. "Maureen, it's three in the morning!"

Maureen scoffed. "Nice to see you can tell time, mother."

Nancy sighed. "What were you doing out all night? I've told you over and over that your curfew is _eleven. _No exceptions. And it's a school night, for god's sake!"

Maureen rolled her eyes, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and tipping it back toward her lips. Her father padded out of the master bedroom sleepily, scratching his head. "Maureen? Nancy?"

Nancy immediately gestured to Maureen. "She's been staying out. Again. Who were you with, young lady?"

Maureen yawned. "Why do you care? It's not like you even care about my life, anyway."

Ed Johnson shook his head, concerned. "Maureen, that's not true. We care very much."

She ignored her poor father, directing her blows at her overbearing mother. "You really want to know?" She asked challengingly, raising an eyebrow.

Nancy narrowed her eyes, sitting forward in preparation for what Maureen was going to say. Nothing would prepare her, though, because Maureen had reached her limit. She was tired of caring about what her parents thought about her. Fed up, and still feeling an alcohol buzz, Maureen smirked at her parents.

"I was fucking my girlfriend."

Nancy gasped, and Ed looked slightly disturbed. "Excuse me? I really hope you're not just saying that, Maureen Johnson, because that is a serious thing to-"

"No, it's true," Maureen cut her off, enjoying the feeling of shocking her parents. "I've got a girlfriend. Her name is Tracy. We've been hooking up for about three months now, like since I broke up with Mark. I'm bisexual."

She could almost hear her mother say, "Oh, Mark Cohen, that nice Jewish boy! Whatever happened to him?" But surprisingly, Nancy didn't say anything. Instead, she stood up, not meeting Maureen's eyes, and went into the bedroom, slamming the door shut. Maureen jumped at the sound, running a hand through her curly hair.

Her father sighed. "Sweetheart, you should probably go to bed. You've got school in the morning." With that, he ruffled her already tousled hair, and followed his wife into the bedroom. Somehow, her father calling her 'sweetheart' lessened the blow of her mother's silence.

They didn't discuss it after that night.

_________________________________________________

Her father smiled. "Maureen, I'm so proud of you. I always will be, because I admire you. You're so passionate about what you believe in, and you're also passionate about Joanne. I've met all of your boyfriends and girlfriends since you were eighteen, sweetheart, and I can honestly say that I've never seen you quite as happy as you are with her."

Maureen sucked in a breath. She'd never heard anything like that, especially coming from her father. "Listen. I know you're stubborn, you got that from me. Yes, I know it may come as a surprise, but you remind me of myself when I was your age. I can't convince you that Joanne is the right woman for you. All I can say is that I've seen your face when you're with her. And it's like...it's almost as if you _glow."_

Maureen rested her head against her father's shoulder, finding comfort in his warmth. "And I truly believe that no matter how much you two fight, you'll always love each other."

She looked up. "You think?"

He nodded. "I know."

She smiled for the first time in an hour. Her dad was right. She and Joanne had something special; something that she couldn't just be immature about. Maureen realized that if she kept fighting with Joanne about stupid, insignificant things, she would lose the woman she loved. Joanne was worth the commitment.

"Thanks, dad," she said, deciding that he wasn't so bad, after all. He kissed the top of her head. "Anytime, pumpkin. Now go get your girl."

Maureen grinned, standing up to go back inside. As she shut the door behind her, she glanced out the window, seeing a smiling older man, almost beaming with pride for his daughter.

Catching a glimpse of a beautiful, dark-skinned woman pacing back and forth in the hallway, Maureen approached her cautiously. "Joanne?"

**Not my best, I think, but I decided to post it in an advil-induced stupor. Hope you like, and if you do, review. :D**


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